Behaviour
At Windy Ridge we promote and maintain positive behaviour through the teaching of our school values:
Manaakitanga – Respect, Atawhai – Kindness, Honore – Integrity and Manawaroa – Resilience.
We achieve this through the running of our 3 positive behaviour programmes:
- Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L)
- Restorative Practice
- Te Ara Whakamana programmes
Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L)
PB4L is a Ministry of Education initiative, which helps schools to support positive behaviour, well-being and increased educational outcomes. By strengthening relationships and creating more positive home and school environments, we remove barriers to engagement and improve students’ chances to achieve. PB4L is a long-term, systematic approach involving 10 initiatives. These include whole-school change initiatives, targeted group programmes, and individual student support services.
Restorative Practice
This is an approach designed to support and complement PB4L. The programme works with all parties involved to resolve difficult and challenging situations through a restorative rather than punitive approach. The programme has four main stages:
- Identifying the problem (what has led us to needing to have this conversation?)
- Exploring the harm (identifying the impact on those involved)
- Repairing the harm (what needs to happen to put things right?), and
- Reaching an agreement (if this happens again – what will/could you do differently?).
Te Ara Whakamana
This is a powerful Te Aō Māori – Māori world approach which is centred around a deep understanding and respect for supporting both Māori and non-Māori students through the validation of mana, thus deepening respect for themselves and those around them.
Te Ara whakamana focuses on what makes us individual and special (Tangata – people, Whenua – places, Ngā mahi ā rēhia – sports/interests/groups, Ngā Taona – things they treasure, Whakapono – beliefs and values, and Tiaki i a koe/Manaakitanga – how they care for themselves and others.
Behaviour and self-regulation through this programme is focused through the study of the Māori Atua (Rongo-mā-tāne, Māui, Rāuamoko, Tūmatauenga, Tāwhirimātea and Tangaroa). Learning about the stories around each God and their qualities, our students are able to identify their own states of regulation (calm, escalating, frustrated, angry etc). Individual plans are then designed to help manage behaviour with practical strategies identified and support persons assigned.
“Once we can identify our own mana, we are able to value the strengths in others; and through this understanding we are bound to making positive choices and exhibit positive behaviour.”